RantCrush Top 5: January 26, 2017

Feminist author and professor Roxane Gay said she has pulled her upcoming book, “How To Be Heard,” from publishing company Simon & Schuster. It was set to be published in March 2018. Her move was in reaction to the company’s $250,000 deal with Milo Yiannopoulos, the Breitbart News writer and controversial alt-right spokesperson. Yes, the guy who was banned from Twitter for aiming racist hate speech at “Ghostbusters” actress Leslie Jones last July. Yiannopoulos is an outspoken Trump supporter and symbol for the far right, even though he is gay and an immigrant. His new book is called “DANGEROUS” and will reportedly be about free speech.

I guess the news out. Everythjng I need to say is in my statement. I can afford to take this stand. Not everyone can. Remember that.

— roxane gay (@rgay) January 25, 2017

The news that Simon & Schuster is publishing a book by Yiannopoulos was met with a lot of criticism, and the publishing company’s CEO even sent out a letter to its authors, assuring them that the book would not contain hate speech. But Gay is adamant in her decision. “I kept thinking about how egregious it is to give someone like Milo a platform for his blunt, inelegant hate and provocation. I just couldn’t bring myself to turn the book in,” she told Buzzfeed.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.